The Iraq War will be turned into a television series sometime in the next two years. It has all the necessary ingredients; the fear of danger lurking around every corner, the interplay between civilians and soldiers, the cross-cultural misunderstandings, the struggle for freedom. Even the routine daily patrols into Baghdad provide the perfect setting for a myriad of story possibilities.
The characters are predictable. We'll have the pacificist turned soldier who faces ambivalence each time he is faced with doing his duty. There will be the forbidden romance between the battle worn soldier and a Muslim woman. Of course, there will be the dashing and brave young reporters who risk their lives to bring in the big story. Finally, there will be the rotation of forgettable characters who last a few episodes and get injured or killed in the battles.
The producers of the television series will throw enough legitimate looking action in there to keep most audiences entertained, but there will also be the subtle anti-war message we've all become accustomed to seeing. At every turn, the Generals (US and UK) and the Fedayeen will be the enemy with the common soldier, Iraqi, and reporter just struggling to make sense of it all.
The premiere episode of the series will give us a taste of the sweeping battle into Baghdad and establish our main characters for the regular episodes. The premiere may even be filmed in and around Baghdad, but shortly thereafter will be moved to a set in Southern California. The first year of the series will probably captivate a large number of audiences but as the second year comes around we'll be subjected to bizarre storylines and a more blatant liberal bias. The audience will start to taper off and by the fourth year it will be cancelled.
Is Hollywood that predictable? We all know it is. Stay tuned.